A Jewish mom learning every day; often the hard way.

Happy Father’s Day

Today was father’s day in the US, and I was blessed to spend it this year with my Dad and my husband. This was actually stressful for me, because they are different in a lot of ways, so trying to make sure they are both happy and relaxed at the same time can sometimes be a challenge.

In their honor, I have decided that I would like to post my top ten things I appreciate about them as fathers:

My Dad:

1. Always behaves appropriately.

2. Has a generosity that seems to know no bounds, especially with his family, but with the world as well.

3. Believes on being on time, and shows it.

4. Has spent his life demonstrating that having class and having money aren’t always connected, and that the former is far more important.

5. Has opinions, but has allowed his children to make their own decisions, their own way.

6. Really works at being a role model to my children.

7. Blesses me at the Shabbos table, even though he didn’t when we were growing up, and usually cries a little when he does it.

8. Has always made other people feel welcome and feel like they matter. This inspired many of my friends growing up to call him “Dad”.

9. Has always instilled in us a belief that family, including extended family, matters.

10. Still pouts when I go home.

My husband:

1. Has changed over 8,000 poopy diapers in his lifetime (so far), and doesn’t usually let me do so when he is around.

2. Works a full day and then races into a bathing suit (in the summer) and back out of the house to get his kids an hour of swimming in at the pool.

3. He makes up songs, in his second language, for whatever small lesson the kids need to master.

4. Can be incredibly firm with rules, and yet incredibly, incredibly goofy.

5. Bathes the kids for the first couple of years by climbing into the tub in his bathing suit, so they should get a chance to swim, get used to the water — and I should get a little break.

6. Has committed to all vomit clean-up, and has followed through.

7. Lets the children do brave, hard, scary things.

8. Has worn all of his kids for the better part of their first 1-2 years of their lives. This has included working on a laptop standing up so the baby can be worn.

9. Has stayed committed, emotionally, financially, and with his time, to his son who doesn’t live in our house. Despite the obstacles, and there are many, he steadfastly gives him as much as he can.

10. Speaks to his children in Hebrew, despite growing up in NYC, so they will master the language. He has given up on stories, jokes, shared cultural references, and sometimes even suffers through bad grammar in English in order to give them this gift.